In honor of University of Wisconsin alum Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer Prize winner and foreign correspondent who died Thursday while reporting in Syria, alumni and friends established a memorial fund in his name.
Shadid, who was 43, graduated from UW in 1990 with degrees in journalism and political science. He went on to work at The Associated Press, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Jennifer Karlson, development director for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication with the UW Foundation, said they received an unprecedented amount of requests from alumni for various forms of memorials for Shadid.
“He had many connections on campus, between journalism, political science and Arabic. When news broke on Thursday we just had, I can’t tell you how many people, requesting for an endowment to remember him,” Karlson said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Karlson added the specific use of the funds will be decided by Shadid’s family, but will illustrate Shadid’s lasting connection to UW, students and staff.
Erin Banco, a UW graduate with degrees in journalism and African literature and language who now works as a freelance journalist in Cairo, said Shadid was one of her mentors in the journalism field, giving her advice and guidance throughout her career.
“To put it bluntly, Anthony was my journalistic idol,” Banco said in an email to The Badger Herald. “He represented everything I wanted to be and I aspire to be like him. … His language fluidity and storytelling abilities were unparalleled, in my opinion. But beyond his writing abilities, Anthony was passionate about what he did.”
Banco added she spoke with Shadid last week about meeting in Cairo the next time he was in the city. She said most of her journalistic career choices have been made with Shadid’s guidance, including her move from Washington to Cairo.
Dustin Cowell, an Arabic professor and chair of the Department of African Languages and Literature, had Shadid as a student in his first-year Arabic class. He said Shadid was a dedicated and enthusiastic student.
“I think he’s an example of a graduate who made the most of what the university could offer him,” Cowell said. “He was big on tolerance and understanding and tried to understand different viewpoints. He tried to see the human issues from the lens of a journalist.”
Cowell added Shadid wanted to report on Middle Eastern issues with a knowledge of the region’s culture and history in order to be an informed observer and ultimately tell people’s life stories.
Cowell later met with Shadid when he received an award on campus from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Cowell had saved an Arabic final on which Shadid had received an A+ and showed it to him.
He said Shadid was one of the people he would never forget.
Banco also said Shadid had a unique ability to infuse empathy, compassion and beauty into tragic stories.
“He literally gave me the will to pursue my dreams,” Banco said. “I think it is really rare to meet someone who says that they are doing exactly what they want to in life. And Anthony was one of those people.”
